Newbie Help

I have never owned or operated a model train but have always dreamed of having one on my ceiling. Last night I bought a Bachmann Durango & Silverton G Scale set ($85) and plan on starting the construction soon. Is this set going to be one of those all plastic looks like a toy trains that jumps the track when you sneeze? Is there a good resource for setting up this type track to find ideas and questions like minimum turning radius and grade of incline it can pull? Any help or advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to TrainBoard!!!!!!

Yea, we've got some G-Scalers that I know can help you with all aspects of the hobby. Look forward to seeing photographs of the train the the ceiling layout.

:thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:​

 

Ah Bachmann Their non F-Scale equipment is pretty good. But what you bought is their standard Big Hauler set. They hold up very well if taken care of. My old Bachmann engine lost her working drive gears/motors due to bad handling. But Overall your set is built beyond what New Brite could ever hope to handle. The track that Bachmann packs is Stainless Nickel... I think. Most track is usually brass or nickel treated brass. As for your radius' EMDTrainman has a thread on here explaining that, and I know he'll jump in on this thread next. Bachmann's quality is less than companies like USA Trains or Aristo but it's a great starting point and with a lot of work, it looks great.

 

Marvelle, welcome to the world of G scale and glad you are here. I think we have a better wealth of G scale info here than on other competitor sites. I am EMD Trainman and I am the G scale moderator of this section, I now have about 9 years of G scale experience under my belt.

My first set was a Bachman Silverton Flyer I also found on sale and is a great way to get started very cheaply into the G scale hobby, but Bachman is nothing like the junk New Brite battery powered trains. Bachman trains now come thru standard with all metal wheels. the locomotive in the set is mainly plastic but is pretty reliable for what it is. Bachman has upgraded 10 wheeler locomotives just like that one in your set but much better that you can buy seperately. It's called the 10th anniversary and has many upgraded and better parts, especially in the motor block. The locomotive you will get will be weak in the power area and will not like big inclines. Alot of Bachman rolling stock comes standard with metal wheels also. I would not recomend using the Bachman track however, they are only available in 4ft diameter curves and 1ft straight sections which are metal and not nickle, too many joints cause power loss from the transformer. You are better off upgrading to either LGB, Aristocraft or USA Trains brass track. I better understand USA Trains and Aristocraft track descriptions which are rated in feet and the curves are rated in diameter of feet, plus it's all code 332 which is perfect for a amatuer like you. When you get into LGB track, there are too many variables such as code 332 and 250 track and then I really don't understand how they rate their curves such as R1 or R2, etc, it doesn't make sense to me but the other brand does. Nothing against to those who use LGB track, I just better undertsnd Aristocrat and USA Trains track. Your Bachman train is designed to run on 4ft diameter curves, but if you decide to upgrade to Aristocraft or USA Track I suggest you get 5ft diameter curves that way you have room to upgrade to bigger locomotives later such as the USA GP-9 or the Aristocraft FA, etc.

There are many vendors who sell 2 different types of overhead rail systems, there is a Ceiling Mounted Type and wall mounted type. If you want to use the ceiling type and skip the expense of buying these premade systems check out what Route 66 did, he made a overhead system with simple supplies from Home Depot, just click on this link in the orange to read what he did >>>> http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=99578

 

Marvelle, Here is a link to my EMD Trainmans 2008 thread which has alot of info to G scalers like you starting out can read and have a better understanding of the G scale world, it will bring you up to speed, but there is alot of reading there. Here is the link >>>>>> http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=98901

 

Marvelle and DragonFyreGT, please remember that the sets such as what Marvelle has bought is not to a specific scale for G scale. Bachman has just recently introduced a accurate 1:20.3 scale ratio or F scale narrow gauge which is marketed differently. The set such as what Marvelle bought is just a Bachman G scale Spectrum set where as the more accurate scale is marketed as Bachman 1:20.3 G scale trains and this series does cost more money as it is more better. The 10th anniversary steam locomotives I mention are G scale spectrum series, the K27 is a 1:20.3 series. Here is the home page to Bacman and you will see they have a seperate G scale spectrum series and then a 1:20.3 series, click onto motive power and you will see how they break it down in the descriptions for example.

Here is the link >> http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewCat&catId=50

 

Thanks for all of your help and great information. It gives me alot to think about. My concern is the track. In order to do what I want I am anticipating about 120 ft of track. Finding enough of the same type used without spending a fortune does not look to be an easy task. Will the power pack that comes with the set push that much track?

 

Bridgewerks Mini Mag. Can't go wrong with Bridgewerks. The standard transformer bachmann makes isn't one I would even trust with a standard set. Bridgewerks is heavy duty and holds up very well. And if you think about converting your engines to wireless control, the recievers will need heavy duty power to run the wireless. I've seen Bridgewerks never fail to deliver the required power to run wireless.

 

Marvelle, DragonfyreGT is right, dump the Bachman transformer and go with Bridgewerks, they have a great variety of transformers to choose from plus they all have DC filters in them to protect your train. You might as well forget using Bachman track going with a layout that big. You can use either Aristocraft of USA Trains track and get 3ft sections or 2ft sections, the less joints the better. The Aristocraft and USA tracks screw together which Bachamn doesn;t. Bachman just makes junk track. Yeah track is expensive right now and always has been the biggest draw back of anyone getting into G scale. But look at it this way, if you ever change your mind of what scale trains you want to model and go to sell the track, you will get 90% of your money back.

 

If you have some basic tool knowledge, you can buy a Track Screw Thread kit from Aristo-Craft and tap and drill screw holes in any track. I have one of those thread drill bits around here some where. I modded all my LGB track so I could screw it into my Aristocraft Track. Helps keep it from moving around and disconnecting.

 

I have been checking prices and the track is alot higher then I anticipated. I can't beleive that I can get an OK train set and a good power pack for under $300 but the track is going to cost at least $700. Not sure I can talk the wife into that. Alot of the used on ebay doesn't say much in the way of model and manufacturer. Is all Aristocraft, LGB, USA G scale track compatible, I also read somewhere about REA but haven't seen any for sale? Any recommendations on where to buy alot of track for a good price without having to bid on a dozen ebay auctions?

 

REA is Aristo Craft. And don't worry about seeing used track. It doesn't say anything about the manufacturer's quality. I have 1 Brand you should steer clear of though. Lionel. Don't waste money on their G-Scale track. I bought most of my aristocraft/LGB Track used. The plastic on the Aristo Craft is a bit weak so becareful if you get it when you attach it. Quality wise, I haven't gone wrong with Aristo or LGB. Used track, if it's in good condition can run great. And even if it doesn't there are solutions to cleaning the track so that it runs like new again.

 

Marvelle, as DragonFyreGT mentioned, you can buy the Aristocraft tool kit to drill and thread different brand tracks and put them all together. What he forgot to mention is be careful when chosing LGB used track. There are 2 different profiles which are code 250 and code 332. All Aristocraft and USA Trains track is code 332. If you were to accidentally buy used LGB code 250 track and screw onto Aristocraft or USA Trains track, this would have disasterous results. The different codes represent the height of the track, code 250 is widely used by rivet counters and people like me who just collect and operate layouts choose code 332 due to it's more reliable to run on and no derailments. Hope I didn't confuse you. Just make sure you ask what code track a person has on ebay. Also they have different curve ratings and DragonFyreGT would probably know about what diameter curve a R1 or R2 or R3 curve is. I'm used to ratings such as 4ft diameter, 5ft diameter, ect. USA Trains and Aristocraft rates thier straight pieces in 1ft, 2ft, 3ft and 5ft sections while LGB uses the metric system which I refuse to learn. I'm just too old fashioned.

Ebay is the place to buy used track, but beware people are buying it up like crazy due to the high prices of new track. I know, I have been looking for used 10ft diameter Aristocraft curves and they have been going for within $80 of new which is still too much for me right now.

 

There is a company called Train Li which just came out with it's own line of new track and is alot cheaper than USA or Aristocraft. However it's so new it has not been reviewed yet. It is available in brass or nickle. The track is made in Germany just like LGB was. It's called ProTrack, here is some example pricing I have on brass, 1 box of 10 1ft sections $65, 1 box of 10 2ft sections $130, 1 box of 10 4ft sections $235. The bad news is that there is only 5 authorized hobby shops to sell this. You can PM me for a recomended hobby shop as we are no longer allowed to list hobby shop names here but can in a pm.

 

Oh snap! I forgot to mention the code variations between the track! I knew I forgot something! All my LGB Track is Code 332 like my aristocraft track. Don't mix 250 and 332. I did once and well it was 145 dollar repair to one of my engines that toppled off a 3 foot high trestle. Nasty. And yes beware of greedy people on ebay. They don't care how they rip people off. If you can attend local train shows look there as well, they won't be as bad as ebay and some sellers at shows are willing to haggle.

 

DragonFyreGT, don't worry you are a big help to the G scale section for sure, we can keep each other straight to help all newbies.

 

There is also another situation happening, most G scale people who have extra track keep a hold of it instead of selling it due to maybe they may want do make additions way later to the lay out. I have quite a bit of extra track my self saved up, roughly 80ft of Aristocraft brass to be more accurate, but don't want to sell it because I'm scared I might want to do a outside layout project later and won't be able to afford todays track prices, I bought mine when prices were way lower than what it is now.

 

One other brand to stay away from: Bachmann. Their track is basically useless, Chinese, plastic junk. I don't mean to bash China, just, Bachmann track is absolutely trash. It only comes in 4ft diameter, and the track cannot be used outside. I'd stick to Aristo or LGB, though USA Trains isn't bad, either. Stay away from anything that has steel rail, it rusts, and in very short order.


If you can afford it, Train-Li is excellent as well, Train-Li makes superb products, though they can be pricey.

My personal opinion is that LGB is very good for indoors. Brass usually has good electrical continuity, and it also generally holds up well compared to other brands of track, especially when it's outside exposed to the elements. I run LGB track with R3 turns and switches at the widest. I started with LGB R1 and some very small switching locomotives, though. The price of track can be daunting, but it's an investment that will last for a long time, if you purchase quality pieces.


R1=Approx. 4ft diameter
R2=Approx. 5ft diameter
R3=Approx. 8ft diameter
R5=Approx. 15ft diameter

These are rough approximations, but as a general rule, if it will run on 8ft diameter, it will run on R3, if it runs on 5ft diameter, it will run on R2, etc.

 

My friend uses LGB Nickel treated Brass track. Towards the end of the LGB Brand they had released that. It holds up well outdoors. Also beware of track lengths. As I've come to find out, Aristocraft 1 foot track sections are not exactly 1 foot like LGB is. To correct my mix and match track I had to use those short LGB special track sections to correct the layout.